OK, it’s time to talk about what we are really passionate about. We’ve been waiting to post about this, and it is something really close to our hearts.

If you’ve read our story, you’ll know that we are bothered by fast fashion. So much so, that it was enough to start a business that is based on recycling clothing.

We’ve quoted some statistics in Our Story that are distressing;

• It can take up to 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton T-shirt
• Australians are currently disposing of 6,000 kilograms of fashion and textile waste every 10 minutes
• The fashion industry accounts for approximately 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Between 1992 and 2002 the time we keep our clothes decreased by 50%.

You may have read these before. Fast fashion (mass production of cheap clothing) is a bit of a buzz word and lots of people are paying it more and more attention because of these shocking statistics coming to light.

We are going to share some practices that will reduce or completely terminate your participation in fast fashion.

 Buy Less

The first thing we are going to ask you to do is buy less. Yes, that’s right – we have a retail business and we are asking you to BUY LESS NOW! That’s how much we care about this issue. All the quality or second-hand buying will never make the same impact as buying less. If it helps, I have a wallpaper I’ve downloaded from The Minimalists that encourages you to reconsider before you buy.

Buy Quality

It can be hard to justify buying quality when it usually costs a great deal more. Just remember that you probably can justify it if you follow our buy less step. Buying a new item is also so much more rewarding when you’ve thought carefully about what you want, and haven’t had new things for a while. You’ll really notice how much more you want to take care of things when you have a select few items that you really like. Also be aware that just because you’ve paid a lot for something, doesn’t mean it’s well made.

Take care

It sounds boring but this is so practical. You don’t need to necessarily wash each item of clothing after every use. Following care instructions is also really important. These two practices will add the longevity of your clothes.

Alternatives to buying new

Swap clothes. Find friends who are roughly your size and swap your clothes with them.

Shop second hand…your wonderful local op shops, Kids Closet, or our amazing sister company The Closet.

We really hope these tips help. Remember, you may feel like you can’t do much but think of the people around you who will see your actions and think about their decisions. The flow on effect could be awesome!

Three steps to transforming your habits, your living space, and perhaps your life

If you had a chance to read our last post about ‘new with tag’ items, you’ll see we touched on clothing storage and the damage this does to clothes that are left at the back of the cupboard for too long. This is such an issue for us as we see so many items, often brand new, come through with storage stains. These often look like brown spots and are caused by mould which eventually turns brown when it hasn’t been removed. It’s such a shame when we can’t list these items on our website.

Storage damage extends to every object we own. Books yellowing and getting damp in a box in the garage, excess crockery never used gathering dust and making it difficult to keep your cupboard clean and hygienic. Rust accumulating on outdoor equipment that is left out and never used.

What we want to talk about now isn’t how to deal with clothing damage – but avoiding this issue in the first place and transforming your home into a pleasant and beautiful space you enjoy being in. Space that is de-cluttered, manageable, and where everything is easily found. Imagine opening a cupboard and seeing every item in there in one go. I reduced the time I take getting ready to head out the door by about 15 mins just by going through my cupboard twice a year (only takes about one hour in total) and refolding items, separating exercise gear from pyjamas, and (this is a really important step) placing off season clothes to one side where they don’t get in the way - who wants to be shoving swim suits and dresses aside in July when you just need to find your long sleeve tee shirt?

So, there are three things you need to do to achieve the control of your space.

Step one – sort your spaces

Sort your spaces, one at a time and decide what stays and what can be re used by someone else – or perhaps recycled into new goods. That’s obvious and I’m sure it sounds a bit tedious and overwhelming. There is SO much advice on how to do this. We recommend visiting our first blog post which will link you in with experts in the area who know all about de-cluttering and maintaining pleasant, calm and ordered living spaces. Stick with it because the second and third steps are far more exciting, far more significant and transformative.

Step two – buy less

Maybe you already do this, but even so give some thought to whether you really need new items, particularly clothing. Apparel is often something purchased in excess and is possibly the easiest place to start when cutting back purchases. Clothing production is the third biggest manufacturing industry globally, so it’s pretty clear we are all purchasing more than we need. A great technique we have found is to give yourself 24 hours to consider a purchase before going through with it. You can find more advice on this here. So why is this part exciting? After some time you will find you do have less things in your home. You’ll find you may have more savings, and when you do make purchases it is so satisfying because you’ve really considered what you want.

Step three – pass it on today

This is SO important. Consider passing on your items while they are still in good shape. This sounds easy but it is likely going to challenge you. It isn’t as easy as it sounds to give something away. We think we may use an item again and this is often coming from a place of guilt. A friend may have bought you a gift you’re not crazy about. More often than not though, it is a clothing purchase that we regret. Passing on these items is admitting to ourselves we made a bad purchase and that’s really hard. We think of the wasted money and it hurts. Well - think of it this way. If you pass it on now, the item won’t be hanging out in your cupboard and continually reminding you of the choice you regret making. For passing on children’s clothing, have a look at Kids Closet’s options to send clothing for free to us.

We really hope our three-step process is helpful and rewarding for you. Good luck!

There’s never been a better time to start your venture into alternative ways to shop than now. The pre-loved clothing market is on the increase and the products on offer are great value. Perhaps you’ve bought the odd pre-loved item for yourself – but you hadn’t considered this as an option for purchasing your children’s clothing? Purchasing items new with tags is a fantastic avenue for those of you hesitant to take the full leap into the realm of second hand.

There is a prolific amount of choice out there in this not-so-second-hand market, and the most established of these are in women’s clothing. Take Kids Closet sister company The Closet, the largest Australian women’s thrift store online. The Closet has over 600 new with tag items. That’s right – 600 totally new, never worn before and about a third of the price when originally purchased. Perhaps now you can purchase some of those designer brands you would usually find difficult to justify buying

Kids Closet is gradually building its reserves of new with tag clothing including brands such as Benetton, Tilii, Witchery, Country Road, Pumpkin Patch, Rock Your Kid and so many more. We are improving the way we communicate the new with tags ‘factor’ to customers, such as including photographs of the label so you can easily see you are purchasing a new product. We are expecting our stock to continue to increase rapidly as more people realise they have an option to send clothing to us for no cost.

So many parents we speak with are reluctant to take their children’s clothing to an op shop. There seems to be a need to send the clothes somewhere they will be worn immediately rather than forgotten in the back of a shop. What we are finding happens however, is because of this reluctance to send to an op shop, clothes including new with tags are left at the back of closets. They are stored without care for too long. We get beautiful stock through our shop frequently which can’t be sold despite having never been worn because of storage stains.

Finally, the clear advantage to shopping in the second hand space is environmental preservation. The natural resources that go into making clothing, and the difficulty in dealing with landfill once fast fashion is discarded is what has motivated us at Kids Closet. We want you to join us in re-thinking the way we consume all goods – but especially clothing.

So go on – give new with tags a try in the second hand market!